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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25417312">An Outburst of the Soul</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sekiharatae/pseuds/sekiharatae'>sekiharatae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Day to Day Life [30]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2009-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2009-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:41:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>671</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25417312</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sekiharatae/pseuds/sekiharatae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>How do you make dating special, when you're already living together?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Day to Day Life [30]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1794073</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>An Outburst of the Soul</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For Springkink.  Prompt: Final Fantasy VII (after Advent Children), Cloud/Tifa: Day out – Tifa finally managed to get Cloud to take her out on a date.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Given that they lived together, slept together, ate together, and raised kids together, it wasn’t often that Cloud went through the motions of actually taking Tifa out on a date.  On those rare occasions when he did, though, he took pains to make the event something special.  Outside the ordinary.<br/>
<br/>
The first time he asked her out, he took her dancing.  Not to a club or night spot, but actual formal dancing.  Ballroom dancing.  He even wore a tux, and appeared stunningly handsome despite the awkwardness she knew he felt in the unfamiliar clothing.<br/>
<br/>
Their second foray was somewhat less impressive, but no less thoughtful: they went to the third annual Kalm Brewfest.  There were few major brewing companies active since Meteor; most of those that were in business prior to Sephiroth’s rampage had been partnered with Shin-Ra and had since lost their funding.  Wineries were even more uncommon.  Instead, a plethora of micro-breweries had sprung up, producing everything from beer to vodka, pineapple wine to apple brandy.  As such, the trip proved to be the perfect blend of business and pleasure, and Tifa returned to Seventh Heaven tipsy from the different beverages they’d tried, happy from the experience, and pleased with the new suppliers she’d found.<br/>
<br/>
For their third date, Cloud purchased tickets to a piano recital at the Healin conservatory.<br/>
<br/>
Although Tifa wasn’t familiar with the pianist, many of the songs listed on the program were things her mother had been known to play.  A few were even things she’d taught Tifa.<br/>
<br/>
It wasn’t the sort of event she’d ever have expected Cloud to know about, much less volunteer to attend.  When they went dancing, it had been a charity event organized by Reeve.  The Brewfest had been advertized with both posters and flyers for weeks, the date flashed in his face every time he went to Kalm for supplies.  For this though... he must have purposefully planned ahead and asked around.  All in an effort to give her something she’d been missing since her mother died, more than half their lifetime ago.<br/>
<br/>
So they went, and sat somewhat stiffly on the delicate white folding chairs arrayed for the purpose – he only slightly less uncomfortable in his sport coat than in his tux, she demure in her blue silk dress, its tea-length hem a far cry from the skirts she usually wore.<br/>
<br/>
But when the first chords echoed around the room, it didn’t matter that they were in new or untried territory.  The music was familiar, if played with a great deal more skill and slightly less emotion than she remembered, and just as dear and beloved.  Reaching out to clasp his hand in hers, Tifa let Cloud anchor her in the present as her spirit reveled in joy from the past, the flow of notes soothing something inside her that had remained broken and jagged for far too long.<br/>
<br/>
Over the years, she’d become accustomed to the pain of memory associated with her mother’s music.  The loss of it was synonymous with the loss of the woman herself:  her confidant, her shoulder. Now Cloud was helping her find a way to love and appreciate it again, to recall and savor all the best experiences from her childhood.<br/>
<br/>
There were tears in her eyes when the last notes faded away, a blend of happy and sad, pain and healing.<br/>
<br/>
He wiped away the few that escaped, the pads of his fingers gentle on her skin, blue eyes troubled; and she kissed him to let him know she was alright – better than alright – the brush of her lips against his chaste but sweet.<br/>
<br/>
And as he led her to the car to drive them home, she realized that – for the first time -- it didn’t hurt to wonder what her mother would have had to say about their relationship.  Instead, her mouth curved with a small smile as she imagined the older woman evaluating her strong, reticent man with the heart of gold.<br/>
<br/>
Tifa was fairly certain she would have approved.<a id="cutid1-end" name="cutid1-end"></a></p>
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